Penn men’s basketball guard Jordan Dingle has played his final game in Red and Blue. But in many ways, the Ivy League Player of the Year’s new home is not new at all.
Dingle announced via social media Friday morning that he will transfer to St. John's — a homecoming for the New York native — marking the end of his time with Penn and the conclusion of an uncertain spring in terms of the guard’s future.
In early April, Dingle entered the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility, but after not being projected among the field of 60 draft picks, announced he would enter the transfer portal on April 28. Now, Dingle’s destination is certain: the final arc of his collegiate career will be played with the Red Storm.
Few players in Quaker history have had an impact as significant as Dingle. One of the most prolific scorers in the nation, Dingle leaves a legacy of dominance at Penn, where he racked up many major awards — including 2023 Ivy League Men's Player of the Year, 2023 Big 5 Player of the Year, and two first-team All-Ivy selections. Dingle’s scoring average of 23.4 points per game during his junior year also ranked second in the country this past season.
Dingle’s decision is also significant amid the changing tides of St. John's basketball. In March, the Red Storm hired Rick Pitino as their head coach, signaling an attempted resurgence to the upper crust of college basketball. The Red Storm made the NCAA Tournament 19 times between 1973 and 1999 — including four Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four — but have qualified for the tournament just twice in the past 10 years.
Pitino is a two-time national champion and most recently coached at Iona, where he defeated Penn 78-50 in the Quakers' 2022-23 season opener. Following that game, Pitino called Dingle “unequivocally an NBA basketball player.” Now, the pair unite for Dingle's last season of college basketball.
Replacing Dingle will be a tall task for the Quakers next season. After a season-ending loss to Princeton in the semifinals of Ivy Madness, Penn had aspirations of running it back next season with four of its five starters returning. But Dingle’s departure throws those plans into flux, and now, Penn will be forced to map their journey ahead without the help of their longtime leader.
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